The closing of a year often invites complaint – and not without reason. Every era carries its own burdens, and ours is no exception. Life, after all, is a continuous process of problem-solving, both individually and collectively. Problems do not disappear because a calendar turns, nor are they solved all at once.
None of what follows is written in ignorance of reality. We are living through a period marked by economic strain, political polarization, and open conflict – from the war in Ukraine to the tragedy unfolding in Gaza – where human suffering is immediate and undeniable. These realities cannot, and should not, be softened by optimism or technological progress.
At the same time, I am convinced that if reflection limits itself only to crisis, it risks becoming paralyzed. This is not an attempt to look away from hardship, but to look alongside it – to examine how humans continue to adapt, build, and search for solutions while carrying the weight of unresolved problems. Problem-solving does not mean that every problem is solved quickly – or at all. It means refusing to accept stagnation as destiny.
From that perspective, 2025 deserves a closer look.
Although we have known about artificial intelligence for several years, 2025 was the year I truly felt its arrival in everyday life. AI moved from promise to practice. Tools such as ChatGPT were no longer niche; they became part of daily professional routines.
A small but telling detail caught my attention: business letters began to sound the way I remember them from my early career – well articulated, clearly structured, and largely free of grammatical errors. This may seem minor, but to me it signaled something important: a return to clarity and thoughtfulness in communication.
More substantially, AI began to compress time. In medicine, development cycles shortened, and the analysis of complex data accelerated dramatically. The ability to process and correlate vast amounts of information in fractions of a second represents a quantum leap in our understanding of reality itself – not merely faster execution, but deeper insight.
From my own professional experience, including my years at Siemens, I have seen how critical it is to connect the digital and the real world. Technology becomes meaningful only when it is anchored in physical infrastructure, industry, healthcare, and everyday human needs. The real challenge ahead is not digitalization itself, but ensuring that it remains connected to reality rather than drifting above it.
At the same time, despite an increasingly difficult global environment, I believe human resilience did not disappear in 2025. Voices continued to rise – sometimes not loudly enough, perhaps – but they were not silenced. Sustainability, responsibility, and human dignity remained on the agenda because people insisted on them. Even when progress felt slow, the persistence of these voices mattered. It reminded me that collective conscience still exists.
From a leadership perspective, 2025 reinforced another lesson many of us have sensed for some time: leadership is no longer a singular act. It has become a collective process. In a highly technological environment, the best outcomes are achieved not by isolated excellence, but by those who are connected, who understand one another, and who are able to assess the whole rather than isolated parts.
I observe this most clearly in the younger generation. They instinctively harness the power of networks and shared intelligence. When aligned with purpose, this collective capability is more powerful than any individual effort. I believe this will increasingly define how we lead, collaborate, and make decisions going forward.
As I look toward 2026, my outlook is grounded in hope – not as wishful thinking, but as a disciplined belief that the future remains open. Yes, the challenges are real. But when viewed in historical context, I am convinced that we have never lived in a time with so many opportunities as we do today.
The key, in my view, is not to be afraid – neither of the new nor of the moment we are living in. Much of today’s anxiety is not only about what lies ahead, but about the present itself. The speed of change, the constant flow of information, and the weight of unresolved crises make many uneasy about the now.
In leadership and decision-making, this fear often shows itself as hesitation, short-termism, or retreat into familiar patterns. Yet fear has always been the enemy of progress. When the present is experienced only as a threat, reflection gives way to reaction. If we can remain present without denial – and approach what is new with curiosity, responsibility, and a sense of shared purpose – then the year ahead can become more than a continuation. It can be a step forward in how humanity understands itself and its responsibility for what comes next.
No Comments